Skip to main content

Access to community small group homes and social care for graduates of population social protection institutions

Ongoing

Summary

Community Small Group Homes: Creating a Pathway from Institutional Care to Independent Living Supporting children and young people with disabilities has become one of the Izmirlian Foundation’s flagship areas of engagement, shaped by more than two decades of experience, emerging needs and persistent gaps in Armenia’s social care system.

Since 2004, the Foundation has supported the Marie Izmirlian Care Centre, home to around 115 children and young people with disabilities, through projects aimed at improving living conditions, access to education, rehabilitation, healthcare and overall quality of life.

This long-term engagement revealed an important systemic challenge. Young adults who reached the age of 18 and had the capacity to live in a more independent environment often had to remain institutional care simply because there was no appropriate community-based alternative available to them.

The Alice Dumoulin Izmirlian Community Small Group Homes Programme was developed to address this gap. Building on the Foundation’s longstanding partnership with the Government of Armenia, and implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the programme supports the transition of adults from large residential institutions to smaller, community-based homes where they can live with greater independence while continuing to receive the professional support they need.

The programme aims to provide safe and appropriate housing, access to health and social care, and support for developing independent living skills. Equally importantly, it seeks to promote greater inclusion and understanding within host communities, helping change perceptions of persons with disabilities and demonstrating that people leaving institutional care can participate meaningfully in community life.

The programme is designed to benefit up to 160 adults aged 18 and above who cannot reunite with their families and require ongoing professional support, with priority given to residents of the Marie Izmirlian Care Centre.

Film

Residents of the Aknashen community small group home celebrating togetherYoung adults begin independent life in the small group home at AknashenWatch on Facebook (opens in new tab)
RA Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs

Gallery

Related projects

“Guyqadaran” Special Equipment Library
Social Inclusion and EmpowermentOngoing

Guyqadaran – A Special Equipment Depository

The “Guyqadaran” Special Equipment Library is a multi-phase initiative of the Izmirlian Foundation and Source Foundation designed to improve the quality of life of children with disabilities and their families by providing access to therapeutic equipment and positioning devices needed for continuous rehabilitation. The model responds to an important gap: while parents are often taught therapeutic techniques that can be continued at home, specialized equipment may be unavailable or unaffordable. The project introduced a shared equipment library model, allowing families to temporarily borrow therapeutic and positioning devices according to a child’s individual needs and return them when they are no longer required, so that the equipment can subsequently benefit another child.